At a country fair near Casterbridge, Wessex, Michael Henchard, drunk on rum, sells his wife and baby daughter to the highest bidder. So begins Henchard's quest to lead a dignified — and sober — life. Years later his past catches up to him in the most unexpected of ways. A brilliant character study, Hardy's novel was memorably adapted for film in 2003 — starring Ciaran Hinds.

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